Favorite Political Personality

[Avalanche.]

They can be living, dead, or even Jesse "The Body" Ventura - Who is your favorite political personality and why?

[nungman]

aaron burr

hes so zany

[BassRevelation0]

George Galloway is a favorite of mine

[Der Übermensch]

Pierre Joseph Proudhon, because he got it.

[Radiobass81]

Salvador Allende

First elected socialist, latinamerican, pro-people, going to the poorest neighborhoods to KNOW Chile, and the fact that he was assasinated by the Evil Empire probably gives him some extra mystical brownie points.

and

Eugenio Maria de Hostos

Although Puertorican he is a latinamerican figure, important in probably all the Latinamerican countries. Pretty much created education in some countries, helped relations with others, pro-independence (Puerto Rico), believed in a Caribbean union, etc, etc.

[PerpetualBurn]

Boris Johnson is brilliant.

Now will people stop voting for him in anything.

And if the royal family can come somewhere vaguely under the term "political figure" also Prince Philip.

[pppoe]

George Galloway is a favorite of mine

George Galloway is my hero.

[Dimmu Burger]

I like Obama. He is the only politician that I ever actually liked.

[TBrown87]

No uniqueness points for you.

I'd have to go with Winston Churchill. That guy was badass.

[Dimmu Burger]

Can't argue that, but I'm not familiar with too many politicians well enough to know their personalities.

[maxwell_1888]

I disagree agree with Galloway on a few things but agree with him on other and also I find him pretty addictive:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ExABpDCaepY

I also found his utter destruction of Senator Norm Coleman a few years ago...hilarious

[wartomods]

Tito

[wartomods]

I like Obama. He is the only politician that I ever actually liked.

Mind a question, are you black?

[Dimmu Burger]

I'm as white as they come.

[BassRevelation0]

I also found his utter destruction of Senator Norm Coleman a few years ago...hilarious
That was the best C-span vid ever

Tito

definitely..was on my 'great leaders' list.

[Avalanche.]

Atatürk was absolutely wonderful
Jon Stewart because he appeals to people who may not get any political news whatsoever if it weren't for him and Colbert.

[Reaganista]

abe lincoln wtf is wrong with you ppl

[Radiobass81]

Jon Stewart because he appeals to people who may not get any political news whatsoever if it weren't for him and Colbert.

A study was done that a usual Daily Show viewer knows more about politicas than someone who usually watches your average daily news.

<3 Jon Stewart. Not so much Colbert.

[ringworm]

George Carlin

Real Time Bill

[Aaron]

Mark Latham or Gough Whitlam

[Iskandar]

My hero has always been Gandhi.

[Det_Nosnip]

Atatürk was absolutely wonderful
That's a pretty unique response...are you Turkish? Many would definitetly argue that his reforms allowed Turkey to modernize much faster than surrounding Middle Eastern countries.

Jon Stewart because he appeals to people who may not get any political news whatsoever if it weren't for him and Colbert.

Yeah, Stewart is great.

[JohnXDoe]

i like Hillary Clinton. and Bill. she would have made a fine President. still might in the future

on the entertainment / media side i like Bill Maher. he's funny and makes sense to me much of the time

[Reaganista]

the d'medici family was benevolent dictators supposedly
if youre into that thing

[Iskandar]

Not really, no.

[Reaganista]

no they were

[1338 h4x0r]

Adolf Hitler

I want his picture as my desktop wallpaper when I land a career at some place like Boston Dynamics or Foster-Miller or some other similar death vendor

His ambition is an inspiration for me everyday

[UmphreysHead]

Colbert, ****ing ownage.

[pppoe]

No uniqueness points for you.

I'd have to go with Winston Churchill. That guy was badass.

I've read that Churchill was actually a huge asshole.

[BassRevelation0]

Adolf Hitler

I want his picture as my desktop wallpaper when I land a career at some place like Boston Dynamics or Foster-Miller or some other similar death vendor

His ambition is an inspiration for me everyday

Troll


welcome back

[Iskandar]

no they wereI meant that I'm not into that sort of thing, whatever that sort of thing is.
TrollI hope you're a troll because otherwise you have a lot of wrong opinions.

[Reaganista]

that sort of thing is the idea of benevolent dictators

[BassRevelation0]

I hope you're a troll because otherwise you have a lot of wrong opinions.
um you can't have a wrong opinion

especially when they're more well thought-out than your own

[Iskandar]

um you can't have a wrong opinion

especially when they're more well thought-out than your ownI'm terribly sorry but your opinion is wrong.

[pppoe]

I'm terribly sorry but your opinion is wrong.

Not to further derail the thread but stop trying to be me.

[AyatollahKhomeini]

My hero has always been Gandhi.

absolutely

not only did he do the right thing using the right tactics for the right reasons- but it basically worked, too

india gains independence, and non-violent protesting gains legitimacy

[1338 h4x0r]

Troll


welcome back

True, I was lying about the idea of using a picture of Hitler on my career desktop in the future

On the contrary, I have a picture of dozens of dead German civilians heaped onto a frame of I-beams that fits a standard computer screen very nicely. Goes great with the Fluxbox 'all_black' style.

http://i37.tinypic.com/14doh29.png

You have to keep your eye on the goal you know

[siva_chair]

Thomas Paine.

[Det_Nosnip]

the d'medici family was benevolent dictators supposedly
if youre into that thing

Not really...they supported the arts but were brutal towards their rivals+anyone who opposed them and didn't really do much for the people as a whole.

[SkaRobotArmy]

hitler (seriously, bad man, phenomenal politician)
rick mercer because he makes americans look oh so silly and it tickles my insides
me.

[Reaganista]

Not really...they supported the arts but were brutal towards their rivals+anyone who opposed them and didn't really do much for the people as a whole.

ya well wtf do you expect from a dictator

[StreetlightRock]

I only have favroites in terms of how damn interesting they were ('good' or 'bad' arn't my criteria here):

Henry Kissinger, Mao Zedong, Paul Keating

off the top of my head.

[-1up!-]

Nelson Mandela, for one.

René Lévesque, probably the most important figure of Quebec independantism.

Pierre Joseph Proudhon. While I am not anarchist (or at least not anymore) I have admiration for this movement of political and social thought; I see it as a solid demonstration of humanism.

[Det_Nosnip]

ya well wtf do you expect from a dictator

True, but I would expect more from a "benevolent" dictator, at least following the Leviathan model. The Medicis were more like thugs who happened to like fine art.

[Avalanche.]

That's a pretty unique response...are you Turkish? Many would definitetly argue that his reforms allowed Turkey to modernize much faster than surrounding Middle Eastern countries.


I have a good amount of Turkish ancestry - I think the man was very much ahead of his times in his reforms and ideals.

[Reaganista]

True, but I would expect more from a "benevolent" dictator, at least following the Leviathan model. The Medicis were more like thugs who happened to like fine art.

well that's one of the reasons benevolent dictator is a crap idea but i thought those guys were like the classic example

[Chrysostom]

Clement Attlee, Pitt the Younger, Marcus Aurelius

[Reaganista]

king narmer

[PerpetualBurn]

Whenever anyone mentions Pitt The Elder, I'm forced to think of Barney in The Simpsons.

[Illmatic]

Toussaint Loverture

Whenever anyone mentions Pitt The Elder, I'm forced to think of Barney in The Simpsons.

LORD PALMERSTON

[Iskandar]

Clement AttleeGood pick.

Tommy Douglas - the Greatest Canadian.

[Smokey D]

Whenever anyone mentions Pitt The Elder, I'm forced to think of Barney in The Simpsons.

That episode was on recently. Classic.

well that's one of the reasons benevolent dictator is a crap idea but i thought those guys were like the classic example

More like Frederick the Great. The Medicis were pretty hated in Florence and were thrown out for being oppressive and anti-republican.

[siva_chair]

More like Frederick the Great.

I believe I am related to that guy to some degree.

[Reaganista]

well it took a while

[wartomods]

I only have favroites in terms of how damn interesting they were ('good' or 'bad' arn't my criteria here):

Henry Kissinger, Mao Zedong, Paul Keating

off the top of my head.

lol Mao Zedong

[BassRevelation0]

I only have favroites in terms of how damn interesting they were ('good' or 'bad' arn't my criteria here):

Henry Kissinger, Mao Zedong, Paul Keating

off the top of my head.
wow

u favor bad people.

[beso negro]

Ayn Rand

[Iskandar]

Ayn RandSo that's what's wrong with you.

[beso negro]

what's not to like?

she was an isolationist, a capitalist, an athiest, and a social liberal. she was way ahead of her time on racial issues and hated the feminist movement. plus she was a babe.

[JohnXDoe]

Joe Biden :rolleyes:

[Iskandar]

what's not to like?

she was an isolationist, a capitalist, an athiest, and a social liberal. she was way ahead of her time on racial issues and hated the feminist movement. plus she was a babe.Besides her politics, she was ugly as sin.

But the point is that her philosophy was complete bullpoop.

[Moon Flavor]

Rand Al'Thor; the dragon reborn, bringer of the next spoke in the wheel of time, and merciful reincarnation of Lews Therin Kinslayer.

was a genius politician...

[gregulus]

john rambo.

best sound bites ever.

[Chu]

Rand Al'Thor; the dragon reborn, bringer of the next spoke in the wheel of time, and merciful reincarnation of Lews Therin Kinslayer.

was a genius politician...
Nice series.

[Sk0rpi0n]

Tommy Douglas and Lester B. Pearson would be a classic examples of good political personalities, as would Winston Churchill. In modern politcs I am quite fond of Jack Layton, Vladimir Putin and any other politician who rarely flip-flops or changes position for convenience.

[Smokey D]

Refusal to compromise is only a good thing when you pick the right policies in the first place.

Putin at least probably didnt.

[Sk0rpi0n]

Putin's policies are bad from a Western perspective, but his policies have contributed significantly to economic growth and cultural renewal within his own country, even at a time when the western economies it was thought to be dependant on begin to fail.
Furthermore, his policy of Eastern co-operation (with china specifically) is hailed as a one way to return the world to a multi-polar power structure, because as we know, American Hegemony is doing very little to improve world stability.

[Smokey D]

I wouldn't go to say they've been an unmitigated failure but every beneficial thing Putin has done for Russia could have been done without aborting its nascent democracy.

I don't think American unipolarity is particularly stabilising, but I don't think a return to Cold War multipolarity will necessary be stabilising either. And I think people overstate the potential for a future role for the SCO.